No More Tears
by HardcoreGamerNess
Summary: Caria Wolf, an exotic child resides within wall Maria. A life changing event leads her to join the military and fight alongside Captain Levi in the war against the enigmatic Titans. [Levi x OC]
1. The Child

Hello Readers. This is a Levi fanfic and he's paired with an original character since I like Hanji x Levi but don't necessarily think they fit all the time. I don't own the Shingeki no Kyojin series(which is epic). I read the manga so eventually this fanfic will contain spoilers for those of you who have only seen the anime. I will warn before that time comes. If there's any typos please tell me and constructive criticism only please. Sometimes I think the copy paste method gets weird. Anyways. I hope you readers like the story. I may eventually add a cover picture.

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Chapter 1

"What's your name?" spoke a voice out of the shadows. The room in which the voice sounded was torn apart. Blood scarred the hardwood floor and the candle that had once held a lively flickering light was smoked out on the ground. Bodies sliced apart. The small figure cowering behind boxes of produce was me.

"Caria..." my own small voice uttered. It barely left my lips.

"Speak up!" the voice commanded harshly.

"Caria, Wolf." I muttered again, perhaps even more softly than the first time. I heard the person make a "tch" sound and heavy boots creaking against the floorboards. I held my knees more tightly; having been already brought close to my chest in fear. I felt my body being jerked up and I stumbled into what seemed to be a man.

"Captain Levi what is it?" asked a feminine voice.

"I found someone. A child." said the man named Levi. He took me roughly by the arm and brought me outside into the fading sunlight.

"Another one eh? The military police are usually the ones to deal with incidents like this yet nothing has been done about the rise in slave trafficking." the female commented without looking at me. I looked up at the man next to me. He was only a little more than a foot taller than myself with sharp grey eyes. Black hair shaved around the bottom into an undercut, a thin but muscular body type. This man was likely with the military judging from the clothes he wore. It took a moment for me to notice the way he was staring at me. His eyes were intensely fixed on my hair then drawn down to my eyes.

"Hanji, take a good look at this girl." he said. The female soldier wore glasses and had expressive amber eyes. Her eyes widened as she gave me a once over.

"Wow, I can see why they were after you." the female officer exclaimed examining me closely.

"She's probably got more than one influence in her bloodline." the captain commented lazily.

"Yea, but what should we do with her?" The male and female looked at me intently. Tears began to flow from my eyes. Levi made another annoyed sound while Hanji's eyes glittered with sympathy. "Don't worry little girl, you won't be left here alone!" she proclaimed passionately. "Levi her parents. Are they uh... you know?"

"I killed two of the kidnappers, but there were already two other corpses inside the house. I believe the mother's dead, but it's possible that she was just unconscious and collected due to her unique heritage." Unconscious? The word circled in my head.

"So your mother, is she from south of the sahara?" Hanji asked. I nodded silently. "Hmm..you know people south of the sahara are thought to have been completely wiped out by the Titans, but since your mother's is here, that must mean that some survived!" Hanji said cheerfully wiping the tears from my face. I was beginning to find her disposition off-putting. All I could think about is whether or not my mother was still alive. "Hey Captain, I have an idea, how about the Survey Corps take her in?" I looked over to the cold grey pupils of the man called Levi. This man was the one who had sliced the kidnappers apart. And he had done it so easily that there was no doubt in my mind that he had killed before. He saved my life but my eyes widened in fear just looking at him. More tears sprung from my eyes and I buried my face into the lady's ribs.

"She's weak... why would we take her in? Once we go back to the inner district we can probably give her to one of the upperclass citizens. They'd love to have someone of her mixed heritage. She'd probably be treated like a princess or a maid depending on who adopts her." Levi droned.

"That's it!" Hanji exclaimed pounding her fist into her hand. "We can take her in and teach her to cook for the survey corps. And since we usually do the cleaning ourselves, having another person around will give us more time to train and study the titans!" the female soldier began rubbing her palms together in excitement.

"You mean give _you _more time to study the Titans." Levi corrected. I looked at The brown haired woman incredulously. Just who were these people? And Titans? I was only eleven but kids were usually told about the titans as soon as they could speak and comprehend. I had only seen drawings of titans and heard stories. I wasn't even sure if they were real or not.

My thoughts turned to the incident. I had opened the door despite my mother telling me not to. I ignored her out of curiosity, not realizing the slave traders had been scouring villages all throughout wall Maria. I suddenly fell to my knees; head shaking from side to side violently. I wanted to rid myself of the past few hours. Go back in time and save my father and mother. My dark wavy shoulder length hair covered my face. It was my fault they were dead. My fault that my father didn't have time to grab the gun from the cellar to protect us. My hands reached out to grasp at Hanji's calves.

"Please save my mother, I...I'll do anything you want! Just save her!" I whimpered in desperation.

"Hmph, that's not our mission. Hanji, let's take her and go. This detour has taken long enough." The captain turned his back to me dismissively and headed towards his horse. I stared after him in disbelief. How could they leave my mother? Didn't they fight Titans for the sake of humanity? Surely they could at least save my mother. The woman looked down at me with uncertainty. I felt myself go numb. My head snapped in the direction of the captain who turned and glared at me seeing my face contorted in rising anger. I got on my feet and walked toward him, stopping a foot away.

"How can you call yourself a soldier?! My mother needs you!" I pleaded my voice aggressive and accusing.

"You.." Captain Levi was about to reach for my collar, when Hanji nervously got between us.

"Levi, she's right. We can't leave it to the Military Police. So far nothing's been done for kids like these. Those that get saved are just put up for adoption, sometimes to horrible people. By the time the MP steps in it will be too little too late." I heard the captain curse under his breath. He was on his horse in an instant. He hesitated for a second to look down at me as if contemplating. The horse reared, and bolted, leaving Hanji and I behind. I felt my heart lighten. "He's strong. Your mother will be okay, alright." Hanji said ruffling my hair and giving me a reassuring smile. I looked down the road that Levi had taken. I knew what this man named Levi was capable of already, I just hoped he could make it in time.


	2. The Uneaten Cake

Chapter 2

_Italics - past_

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"_Caria can you gather some of the fruit out back, I'll need it for the cake I'm baking." my mother gave me a playful wink and I giggled, eagerly running out the back door to gather the fruit. Today father would be home by midday. He was a skilled hunter and tradesman with solid connections. Because of this, our family never went hungry and could afford small pleasure like fine salt and seasonings for our meat or quality cloth for our linen. I went outside to pick plums and raspberries, my father's favorites. _

"_I'll fill up the whole basket for him." I determined. I inspected each plum and raspberry for insects or holes. They had to be perfect._

"_Caria? Have you collected the fruit yet. They have to be cleaned and diced for the cake." My mother called. I must have spent too much time on fruit inspection. I picked up the basket and sped into the house. _

"_Here you are mother, all in perfect shape." I said proudly puffing out my chest. Was I a good fruit picker or what? My mother rolled her eyes and smiled taking out a knife to cut the fruit. _

"_You know, your father could get home earlier than we expect so we have to hurry. The fruits look delicious though. You must have been very careful while picking them, eh?"_

"_You betcha." I said with a grin. We both let out a lighthearted laugh. I loved my mother's smile. Her teeth were as white as the clouds on a sunny day. _

"_How about you wash the raspberries and plums and hand them to me after each piece is cleaned that way it'll be ready as soon as the cake's out of the oven." And so we both worked hand in hand until the sun was high in the sky. My mother and I hummed a German lullaby that was taught to my mother by my father of German heritage. My mother was from south east of the Sahara desert; a Habesha woman. Her skin was a smooth dark brown and her hair was made up of spiraled curls pulled back into a curly ponytail. My skin was brown as well although multiple shades lighter. I inherited my fathers light hazel eyes, but my mother's dark hair; mine being extremely wavy._

_I asked my mother the about the title of the lullaby. "You ask me so often about the lullaby's name that I've gone and forgotten it too." my mother joked. _

"_Well as long as we remember the sound, we can hum it to father and he'll tell us." I said. I finished washing the last fruit and handed it to my mother. "We have a few extra fruits to eat for later and it's not so many that they'll spoil quickly. You did wonderful my little one." My mom bent down and kissed my forehead. "I'll clean up the mess in the kitchen. How about you go and put that basket away and lock the back door, alright? _

"_Yes mom." The back door of our house was parallel to the front door. One only needed to go directly right from the stove to reach a bedroom and left of the bedroom was a small hall with shelves and boxes of produce. I opened the back door to see where the sun was. It was beginning to arc down again, meaning father was a little late. As I was about to close the door, I heard familiar galloping. I knew immediately that it was father coming in with his chestnut horse. We had a small stable for it in the back. I could've gone out to greet him but decided to warn my mother of his arrival instead. I quietly locked the door and hurried to my mother with a giant grin on my face._

"_Guess whose here?" I said in a singsong voice. My mother quickly finished up the last of her cleaning and turned towards me. _

"_How do I look? Do I have a fly away hair? Do I have fruit juice on me?" my mother asked in a rapid string._

"_Only a little, and no fly aways, you look pretty as always." I complimented. _

"_Hmm, maybe I should change my dress again.." my mother muttered to herself. I too wondered if I looked messy but my mother didn't say anything so I assumed I looked presentable. I turned my head to the counter and got a whiff of the cake. My mouth gaped open and my nostrils flared. I needed father to walk in immediately so that I could have at the cake!_

_A key turned in the lock and my mother stood behind me with hands on my shoulder ready to greet my father. As the door opened, light flooded in and a tall man with neatly combed light brown hair, hazels eyes, and a modest beard complimented by a barely there mustache entered the small kitchen. _

_(Caria's mother)"Welcome home dear! Happy Birthday!"_

_(Caria)"Welcome home father! Happy Birth-huh?"_

_My mother and I spoke in unison until I got confused. I had no idea it was my father's birthday. _

"_Caria, you must have forgotten what today is. It's your father's 41__st__ birthday." My mother said shaking her head and ruffling my hair in the way that she did when I was being silly. _

"_You wound your old man, Caria." said my father mockingly placing his hand over his heart and imitating a pained expression. I puffed my cheeks out and made a pout lip, crossing my arms and turning to my mom._

"_Mommy, you didn't say it was father's birthday, I thought we were baking it as a way to congratulate him on how much game he bagged recently. It was a lot more than usual." I pouted._

"_Sorry Caria, I must have forgotten to let you in on the secret, but you have to admit, your not one for secrets. Remember when I told you that I made your father a new bow?"_

"_Not __**that **__again." I sighed. My mother always brought that up as her reason for keeping secrets from me._

"_Come now my beauties, lets enjoy the cake that mom here so graciously baked." said my father giving both of us a peck on the check. His beard was short so it tickled a bit. _

"_You know I helped too." I pouted at my father._

"_Of course you did sweetheart. That's my girl." My father said smiling down at me. I heard him whisper something to my mother but couldn't make out any words. They were keeping secrets again. _

"_I'm gonna go wash up before we eat." I said excusing myself. _

"_Is there something wrong Luther?" I heard my mom ask as I walked away until they were both out of ear shot._

"_Have you talked with any villagers recently Sara? I've been hearing talk of kidnappers and murderers." Luther asked anxiously._

"_Kidnappers and murders? No...nothing of the sort. Did you just hear this recently?" _

"_Yes, I was riding back home when some villagers stopped me and warned me about groups of men traveling with wagons around the area. Apparently a secluded house similar to ours was broken into and both of the parents were killed with only a little girls surviving the ordeal." said Luther gravely._

"_How terrible? Hasn't the Military Police been contacted? I'm sure they'l-" _

"_Do nothing. Sara you know all the MP does is get drunk and slack off just like the Garrison. Most folks have to take care of problems like these themselves by making a village oriented police force. Those idiots in the MP and Garrison think the only thing we have fear are Titans when a lot of the time it's each other." Luther said bitterly._

_Just then, a slow ominous knocking sounded at the door. To the ears of my mother and father, it struck horror and fear in them. To me, it was someone else coming to wish my father a Happy Birthday._

"_I'll get it!" I said sprinting to the door._

"_Caria! No!" my mother screamed. But it was too late because the lock had already turned and the door flew open revealing tall strange men whose eyes expressed only bad intentions._

"_Well look at what we have here." sounded a slimy voice from one of the men. I stood in place struck with fear by these men I hadn't seen before. Men carrying knifes. In the next few moments, everything that had once been and everything that could have been with all of my family intact was torn away forever. My body was shoved aside by my father who was wielding a knife of his own. He angrily plunged it into the heart of one of the intruders. I saw my mother grab her own knife to come to my father's defense, and I just stood there. Powerless and weak. Maybe if there had only been 2 men, my father would still be alive. For us; however, there were 4 men. All armed and all able to kill. The first man my father stabbed fell to the ground. My mother rushed to my father but only to have his body knock her to the ground as he was pushed and stabbed in one of his kidneys. A wet spot of blood pooled in his clothes and all three men hovered over him and my mother. I didn't even realize that I was stepping backwards to one of the bedrooms to hide. I sank to the ground in disbelief as my father was picked up by the collar and stabbed a second time through the chest. My mother's eyes widened in horror and she picked up her knife slashing the robber's hand with an angry scream. He cursed and hit her, knocking her to the ground once more, this time unconscious._

"_Don't kill her. Do you have any idea how much she's worth!?" warned one of the men. The 4t__h__ man who was also the wagon driver picked up my mom's body and slumped it over his shoulder. Together, the three men exited the house. I silently made my way over to my father's body. His blood now seeped into the wood floors. I heard a strangled cough and realized that he was still alive. His eyes which were fading settled on my tearful horror filled ones._

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I cried._

"_Caria...you..must live. They'll...come back for you." My father sputtered more blood up as he spoke. The thick red liquid poured from his mouth, staining his short beard._

"_Find the little girl! She's a mixed child so she'll fetch good coin too." said the far off voice of one of the human traffickers. I snapped my head to my father who was on his last few breaths._

"_Caria...go!" he coughed for the last time. His eyes slowly redirected towards the ceiling. With and exhale of breath, his spirit departed from the world. Footsteps came towards the door and I ran to the hallway to hide behind the produce. My heart throbbing painfully in my chest. __**Thump thump thump thump. **__It was an incessant drumming. I heard one of the murderers walking towards the hallway. Towards me. My nails dug into my arms drawing blood. Was this the climax of my short, pathetic life? Mother. Father. Forgive me._

"_Guhhh!" _

_My head shot up at the sound. I heard the man who was just at the doorframe retreat to see what the sound was. I too was brought to my feet. The horse of the wagon neighed and it sounded like it was leaving. I unlocked the back door and looked out over the fence to see the only the driver occupying it. Seemingly speeding away from some unknown danger. I saw my mother's head. Wasn't she dead? Why would they still take her? I went back inside and heard furniture tumbling along with the sound of a body hitting the floor. I slowly peeked around the corner to see the neck of the man, who had had his hand slashed by my mother, spraying blood. A man of short stature stood amongst three corpses leaking blood into the floorboards. Two kidnappers lay on the ground; only one innocent man. I exhaled silently and stepped backwards as quietly as I could to my hiding place. This new person must have heard me though, for the next thing he did was inquire my name._


	3. Promise

Chapter 3

*_**bold Italics**_* indicates something being remembered

**bold italics– **indicates sound

_Italics – _indicates extended flashbacks or emphasis

* * *

"Ugh. My head." For some reason my brain was pounding against my skull. "Mom has father left yet?" I called. There was no answer.

Eh? I opened my eyes and realized I wasn't in my usual bed. In fact, the room I was in wasn't made of wood, but stone. Wait a minute. I flew out of bed, still wearing the dress I had on the day before. The day before...

_*"__**Caria! No!" my mother screamed**__*_

My fist punched the stone. Damn it! The salty drops splashed the cold stone floor. I shook as I weeped. I must have spent a good hour hunched over on the floor before the door to the room opened. The man with the black undercut hair entered. I didn't bother raising my head to look at him.

"Your mother is..." _**thump thump thump thump. **_Could I even handle more bad news. Slowly my eyes lifted to meet his lazy ones. He never had a facial expression so I couldn't tell what he was going to say.

I suddenly recalled the way my mother's messy curls tossed in the wind, her bright infectious smile, almond shaped brown eyes always looking at me, content with their simple life. Would he tell me that I would never see her like that again? That only my memories would let me recall her as I could only now recall my father?

"Sick." Levi finished.

"Sick?" I echoed with a question. My brows furrowed in confusion. Sick? I didn't...

If he knew she was sick then that also meant that she was alive and... here?

"Where?" I asked.

"In the infirmary run by the survey corps. Hanji is taking care of her." Levi said emotionlessly.

"You...saved her. You. Saved. My mother." I flew over to him and hugged is waist. I felt him try to free himself but I held on tightly a dumb happy look on my face.

"You can let go of me now." Levi said in discomfort.

I gasped suddenly and I instantly remembered my promise to him.

_***"Please save my mother, I...I'll do anything you want! Just save her!"* **_

I let go of the Captain and my knees hit the stone floor. I huddled my body into a bow. "Captain Levi... I pledge my service to the Survey Corps." I stayed in this position for 10 minutes before looking up. Levi was nowhere to be seen. I blanked. Where could he have gone? I got up and opened the door to look for him. The hall was wide with the Survey Corps logo decorating the walls. Wings in an emblem design. I stood there for a few moments. I owed them my life now. Two lives actually.

"Geez, you bow to the guy and he disappears on you." I whined aloud.

"Who disappeared?" came a masculine voice from behind me. I yelped and turned around. A man of about 6' 2" towered over my own 4 foot body. I sheepishly looked into his ice blue eyes in wonder. He had a commanding presence like Levi but in a different way.

"I'm...um... looking for Captain Levi?" I said in a small voice.

"Ah, so you must be...?"

"Caria sir. Caria Wolf. Nice to meet you." I said bringing my hand out formerly.

"Hmm well-mannered. I hear you'd like to pledge yourself to the Survey Corps." said the tall blonde haired man.

"Yes sir. Captain Levi rescued my mother and I from...monsters." I finished turning away. I wasn't going to cry in front of this man. I refused to.

"Hmm. Tell you what young lady. I'll leave Levi to decide whether or not you'll be of any use to us. In the meantime I'll see to it personally that something gets done about the human traffickers. No doubt there's more that a few groups of men going out there. So far two bands have been killed. They probably have a whole organization somewhere." the blonde man said.

"Thank you." I muttered. I could only imagine how many girls and boys had been kidnapped with one or both parents killed.

"Come, I'll take you to the infirmary." We walked in silence down unfamiliar hallways though I tried to memorize the halls of the structure since I planned on working for the SC. Eventually we ended up on in the basement, stopping at a door with "Infirmary" planted on the wall beside it.

"You go on in. I'll notify the Military Police and Garrison of the human trafficking problem." the tall man said. I remembered my father speaking about the two government divisions. Specifically about how they never did anything.

"What if they don't listen?" I asked looking at the door of the infirmary.

"Hmm?" the man inquired.

"What if they're useless and never send anyone out to take care of the problem?" My knuckles clenched.

"Then I'll use the Survey Corps to take care of the problem. And address the King about the issue myself if I have to." said the blonde man.

"Then you're.."

"A head officer of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith." he finished. I looked at him. My eyes brimming with tears which took him by surprise.

"Thank you." I cried gratefully. The officer saluted me and I imitated him with a salute of my own. He chuckled and gave me a warm smile, almost reminding me of my father. Once again I found my hair being ruffled. I couldn't wait till I was taller so people wouldn't do it so much. Still it wasn't so bad. I decided that I liked Erwin Smith. Maybe even more than Levi.

I turned to the door of the infirmary and prepared myself to see my mother.


	4. Her Loss and My Request

Chapter 4

*_**bold Italics**_* indicates something being remembered

**bold italics– **indicates sound

_Italics – _indicates extended flashbacks or emphasis

**Bold -**writing

* * *

"Caria, is that you?" sounded a female voice that I recognized as Hanji's. The span of the room was wide with multiple beds lining the wall. I saw Levi and Hanji looking at me expectantly. Levi looked constipated, as usual, and Hanji looked worried which in turn caused me to worry. I hesitantly headed towards the bed. I gulped. Would she be battered horrifically? Had she lost one of her limbs? I prepared myself for the worse.

I peered around the bed sheets to see my mom laid up in the bed every body part intact. Her eyes looked lifeless though, and I wondered if she was dying. As I walked closer to her bedside, her eyes shifted to my position and a bit of life seemed to spring back into her.

"Mother!" I exclaimed. We embraced each other tightly. She kissed my head repeatedly, sinking her face into my hair. I felt her tears mix with my own tears, falling down on the bed linen. I heard someone leave the room but still sensed eyes watching us, the mother and daughter, unite. It must have been Hanji. I guessed that Levi must be uncomfortable with such affectionate displays. We stayed embraced for a while and eventually the tears stopped.

"Mother, I pledged myself to the Survey Corps, I'm going to work for them to pay them back for rescuing us." My mother just smiled down at me, patting my head.

"Caria, I have to tell you something?" Hanji interrupted.

"Hmm?" I turned to look at her and she still had that worried look on her face. Whatever could be wrong I? I looked back at my mother who just smiled at me. Was I missing something?

"Your mother hasn't spoken a word from the time Levi picked her up to now. We thought she'd speak to you but... when Levi found the hideout she was taken back to, there was a circle of men surrounding her. She was being...they violated her even though she was barely conscious. I think she was hit pretty hard on both sides of her head near the ear. There were cuts in and around her ear. I don't think she can speak anymore."

I covered my mouth. My stomach was churning. My widened eyes looked in horror at my mother. Seeing my expression she turned her eyes down to the bed sheets, clenching the sheets tightly.

"This alone might have been fine..." Hanji continued "...but it also seems like the head injury she sustained affected her hearing. It might be permanent." Hanji concluded. There was no cheerful expression on Hanji's face. She couldn't be joking. I felt a sudden void within me.

"Mom can you hear me?" I asked slowly. I saw her watching me intently, specifically my lips and my eyes widened, tears spilling over. My father was dead. My mother, now a deaf mute and I was in perfect health. They paid for my stupidity. I couldn't bear to look at her. I ran out of the room with Hanji calling after me. Damn it! I shut the door to the infirmary and slumped against it in defeat. I noticed Levi, but I didn't care. I angrily rumpled my hair. My eyes were puffy and red from all the tears.

"Well your not just gonna sit there crying are you?"

I ignored Levi and buried my face into my knees like the weak eleven year old girl that I was. I heard him sigh. A slight breeze brushed my cheek and I peeked my head up. Mere inches from my hazel eyes were Levi's gray ones. He grasped my head in one hand and forced me to look at him. I didn't say anything. Tears continued to spill from my eyes, wide and empty. I heard Levi sigh inwardly. "You can't help your mother by crying and doing nothing. She's still here with you. She's still alive. She may not be able to speak to you or hear you, but she can still see you, feel you and love you. You owe it to her to be stronger. You father's gone. Now you have to do your best to look after your mother." Levi let go of my head a stood up. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be learning to cook and clean _properly_. Unfortunately, you can't stay in wall Maria, but there is a vacant house near a Survey Corps outpost in the Shiganshina District that you and your mother can occupy for now.

"I... have a request." I said. Levi's face showed brief surprise but then nodded, indicating that he was listening. "I'd like to stop by my house before moving to the new one by the SC outpost. I need to...bury my father." I refused to let more tears fall, and I stood with my head up, offering the Captain the same salute I had given the commander earlier. To my surprise, his lip nearly curved up though it was probably something imagined.

"Request granted. We leave tomorrow, morning, oh six-hundred hours. In the meantime, get some rest."

* * *

The next morning, we left from the Trost SC headquarters to go to Shiganshina. My mother was silently sitting besides Captain Levi. Hanji drove the wagon and I sat looking out at the horizon, hair blowing softly in the wind. We arrived first at the old house. I looked to my mother whose eyes immediately overflowed with tears at the sight of her home. Hanji went over to comfort her. I myself wanted cry, but I wouldn't. I had already shed enough tears. With teeth and fist clenched. I walked with Levi to the house. The bodies were still there. The blood, the memories. I looked at my father's corpse, eyes still motionless to the ceiling. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I took careful steps towards him. The first thing I did was shut his eyelids. I wanted to bury him in the backyard next to the plum tree. The cake my mother made was still on the counter untouched. With my mother's permission, I wanted to bury the cake too. RIP old simple life.

Levi grabbed my father under the arms, and I grabbed his legs around the ankles. We rested his body on the grass. I heard a neighing and realized my father's horse was still tied up. I jogged to the stables and untied him while Levi grabbed a shovel and began digging. The horse went over to sniff my father's body. It then kneeled and settled itself near the corpse. Seeing this, I couldn't hold them in any longer. Salty tears started their journey from my eyes to the earth. I eventually dropped to my knees bawling against the horse. My mother and Hanji came to the backyard. My mother had the cake in her hands. She set it down next to my father and sobbed on his chest in silence. Hanji took another shovel and dug with Levi. The only sounds were that of the dirt being removed from the ground and soft crying. Occasionally the horse would make a terrible whinnying sound. The sky was cloudy and dark gray. It would rain soon. By the time I stopped crying, the hole was dug and there was a slight drizzle. I got off my feet and carried my father to the hole. We set him down in it as carefully as we could manage. My mother went about picking flowers and I went inside to take the bowl of leftover fruit from two days before and dump them in the grave. My mother had the same idea as me about the cake and it was set on my fathers chest with flowers and fruit surrounding him. His expression looked a little more peaceful now. I began to hum the German lullaby that my mother had learned from my father. I hummed alone since my mother couldn't make a sound. We stared at my deceased father for half an hour before we closed the grave. More tears leaked from my mother's face as she watched the face of her husband become buried in the dirt. Caskets were reserved for soldiers these days. People within wall rose and maria had to make their own, but my father had expressed his wish to be buried in the earth without a container; his body eventually consumed by maggots.

"Hey... if you have anything valuable, now's the time to load it into the wagon." Levi said. I looked to my mom and then remembered something.

"Paper!" I exclaimed. Hanji gave me a confused look. I ran into the house and grabbed paper and ink. My mother had often written in journals and could tell me what to grab. I could actually speak to her!

I showed the paper and ink to my mom and she immediately understood what I wanted her to do. I had attended a local village school for a bit so I could read and write well enough.

I watched my mother as she sat down at the table and wrote.

"**Caria, it seems I cannot hear or speak to you anymore, but I'm glad you thought of getting me paper and pen. I believe the Survey Corps can be trusted and I expect you'll work hard for them to repay our debt. I'm glad your okay. I miss your father dearly. And I'm happy that we could at least bury him. Grab everything you want to take for yourself and there are a few things of your father's and mine that I would like you to get as well... Your father kept a fund in wall Sina for us in case there was ever a time when food was scarce. I don't know how much he kept exactly but I'm sure it was a lot of money I have his information and papers that should allow us access to his account. Make sure to take..." **

My eyes followed the pen as my mother continued to write. I waited a few minutes until she was done. She handed me the paper and I smiled and hugged her. Quickly, I began going from room to room gathering everything I could and loading it in the wagon. Produce, documents, currency, jewels and trinkets that could be sold and so on. I saddled my father's horse with another wagon for carrying goods. My mother affectionately nuzzled the horses nose.

"Is that everything?" asked Levi.

"Yes sir." I answered. With that we left our old home. Hanji and Levi drove both the wagons. My mother on one, me on the other. I felt a sinking feeling in my heart as I watched my house disappear. The bodies of the murderers were burned in a pile before we left. Nothing of value was left inside. Only memories remained. It was the home I had lived in all my life. I looked forward into the distance as both wagons left the farmlands and entered into more urban settings. "I'll take care of mother, father. I promise." I whispered to myself.


	5. The Art of Cleanliness

Chapter 5

One Year Time Skip. **845**

Caria Wolf – 12 years and 4 months

* * *

"Caria, where's my tea?" called Captain Levi.

"I'm getting it! Hold your goddamn horses!" I lifted the teapot and poured the hot water. "Gotta remember… was it one cube of sugar?" I rushed into the room where Levi was sitting laid back on the couch. My hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. When let down, it reached the middle of my back. I had grown 8 inches in the past year, currently standing at an impressive 4'8". Still shorter than the Captain, but I was confident that I'd outgrow him in no time.

"Famous last words." Levi said taking a sip of his tea.

"Eh?" I questioned.

"You said you'd grown 8 inches and are now standing at an "impressive" 4'8" and that you'd probably outgrow me in no time." Levi said, eyes shifting lazily to give me a sidelong glance.

"I said all of that out loud?"

"Yea, never heard of anyone narrating their own life. You talk to yourself while your cleaning which is probably why you always end up cleaning the same room at least twice."

"I end up doing that because you're an insane cleaning maniac Captain!" I huffed.

"Well, at least you make good tea. Everyone needs at least one redeeming quality." Levi droned.

"Ugh, you know maybe one day I'll slip something extra special into that tea of yours." I muttered walking away. I could have sworn I heard a deep chuckle. It had been like this for the past year. Levi criticized just about everything I did. I'd never forget the first day I started working.

_*** "**__Start with the top level. I want you to scrub the floors, wipe the windows, wash the linen, dust the furniture, clean the walls of all stains and brush the rugs out. This is just an assessment of how well you clean. I'm not sure what your parents taught you about cleaning but I assure you that my standards are extremely high. If I see one speck of dust, you're going to start all over again. Understand?" I gulped upon hearing this but then remembered my mother's words on paper._

"_**Do your best Caria. I believe in you." **_

_Recalling my mother's words reassured me and I balled my fist in determination. I wrapped a scarf. around my head and began to work. It took me 3 hours to finish the top floor. When I did, Levi came in the room and looked around inspecting everything. His eye caught on the desk. He took his finger and brushed it across the surface. His face looked horrified and he snapped his head in my direction. "What is this?"_

"_Dirt..." I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. _

"_Clean it again. Everything." I sighed, already tired with the thought of having to clean everything again. The next time 4 hours passed. It was now an hour past noon and I hadn't eaten anything all day._

_Levi entered the room as I was finishing. I bowed to him and waited patiently to hear his verdict. I watched as he once again inspected everything. His hands smoothed across surface after surface, inspecting for dust. Everything was perfect._

"_Clean it again." said the Captain. My face fell._

"_Huh?" _

"_You heard me. It's not clean enough." Levi ordered. My stomach growled and I was exhausted. _

"_Sir if I may, what exactly is the problem?" I asked trying to keep my voice even. _

"_The windows weren't cleaned properly." _

"_Well then I'll just clean the windows an-" _

"_No." Levi interrupted. "Do it all again from the beginning." I looked at him in disbelief. My stomach growled uncomfortably. _

"_Can I at least eat and then clean sir?" I asked._

"_No, I want you to start again immediately." My eyes narrowed. I was done being polite. I snagged his green cape with my hand as he turned on his heel to leave._

"_Just what the hell is your problem? I've been cleaning for 7 hours straight! All I ask is to get a bite to eat!" I yelled. Levi simply blinked and took my hand of his cape, leaving me alone and fuming with irritation. I wanted stop right here and leave. That sadistic mysophobe could do the cleaning himself. I sighed and found a chair to sit back in for a moment. I thought of my mother and then my promise. I told Levi that I'd do anything if he saved my mother. Hours of ridiculous cleaning without food could be included in anything. I inhaled and exhaled. Alright. I'd give it one last go and clean harder than ever before. No inch of the top floor would go untouched. And if this didn't work, my resolve was simple. _

_I'd kill Levi with my own two hands._

_5 hours passed this time. I collapsed on a rug, arms aching from endless scrubbing. My stomach had given up growling. _

"_Caria..." I opened my eyes and jumped. The Captain was hovering over my face with those creepy gray eyes of his. I rubbed my eyes. I must have dozed off after finishing the cleaning. "Come down stairs with me. There's soup and bread waiting for you." I let out a sigh of relief. Finally I was free of this lunatic. "Remember this the next time you clean. Your 3__rd__ time was your best. Cleaning isn't just a chore. It's an art you have to perfect. The more you clean, the more precise the movements of your arms. The longer your strokes with the cloth and the more keen your eyes are at discriminating the toughest stains." Levi talked at length. _

"_You know, I thought you'd be more of the silent type, but you sure do talk a lot." I said stumbling to my feet. I dragged past him. Before I could escape completely however, he caught my arms. "Oh please have mercy!" I begged inwardly. _

"_You're sweaty, go wash up before you eat." Levi commented._

"_Yes sir." I replied. Forget trying to impress to this guy. He was totally insane._


	6. And Then The Sky Began to Bleed

Chapter 6

It was just after noon when I left the Shiganshina SC headquarters. To my dismay, Captain Levi said he'd be dropping by to check up on my mother at some point. I didn't mind Hanji's visits, but the Captain was just plain creepy. When my mother and I had first arrived at the house it was completely empty and just barely furnished. For the first week, Levi and Hanji had helped us move in outside of their own duties. At some point I was able to take a couple days off to go all the way to Wall Sina where my father's funds were kept. The vault he maintained held a sizable fortune; enough for us to move into the capital with the upper class. However, my mother wasn't interested in that type of life and instructed me not to use the money. Father's funds would be for an emergency situation only and it was up to me to work for the both of us and build upon the wealth that my father had grown. Against her wishes, I used a bit of the fortune to pay for someone to watch over her and teach her how to communicate better despite her condition. The government, excluding the Survey Corps, was responsible for being unable to protect it's citizens within wall Maria from human trafficking and while they would have provided their own aids to help my mother, I didn't want to continue relying on them.

With the special assistance my mother improved at reading lips(which meant I couldn't get away with mumbling under my breath anymore). During my days off from the SC I spent time with the aid learning how to make hand gestures as a new form of conveying information with to mother. Other times, we continued to use hand writing to communicate.

"I'm home!" I announced upon entering our humble abode. I went to the kitchen where my mother was peeling plums. Sensing my presence, she turned to me and smiled sweetly. "Hello mother." I mouthed, hugging her tightly. Today was her birthday and we were headed outside of Shiganshina to visit father's grave at our old home near the farmlands of wall Maria. I showed her the flowers I had picked up on the way home. Red and white roses.

Beatrix, my mother's aid came from the upstairs with my mother's coat and scarf. She was a little older than my mother, who was only 33, with shoulder length straight brown hair and dark grey eyes. "Good Afternoon Miss Beatrix." We were just getting ready to leave for the farmlands of wall Maria. "Could you take my mother to the wagon please? I have to go grab a few things to take to the grave." I told her. This would be our second time visiting my father's grave since we moved. I crafted my deceased old man a hunting bow along with a satchel of arrows. He obviously couldn't use them but if there was hunting in the afterlife(if an afterlife existed), I imagined it would appear in his heaven if I placed it atop his grave. My mother was taking plums to my father. Together we'd eat them by his grave, putting a few on the soil even though we knew the animals would eventually take them. I wrote a quick note for Levi telling him where we were. He had the keys to our home so he would see it if he decided to come after all.

It took two hours to get to our old home. My mother got down from the wagon and carried her plums to the back. The bushes were overgrown now and the house was dusty. The bloodstains on the wood floor were a dark brown, but they didn't smell so much anymore. I placed the bow against my father's tombstone. "Do you want to start eating the plums?" I mouthed to my mother. We invited Beatrix over to share the plums with us. I could tell she felt a little bit out of place at our old home that had an abundance of sentimental value to my mother and I. With the first bite into the plum, I noticed a shift in the air. I looked up into sky and saw birds heading rather eagerly towards the Trost district. They seemed driven in that direction. But by what? I tried to ignore it, but with each passing moment my intuition got worse. I thought I heard an alarm sound in the distance. "Beatrix, do you hear anything?" I asked. She shook her head. Maybe I was going crazy then? In thirty more minutes, I felt a small tremor in the ground and stood up. Beatrix do you feel that? Mom? My mother was praying at my father's grave and I didn't want to interrupt her, but something felt wrong. "Mom I think we should go," I signaled with my hands and mouth. She nodded and slowly rose to her feet. I scanned the area for more animals fleeing towards Trost. "Beatrix, take my mother to the Trost district on the wagon." I instructed.

"Yes my lady, but where will you go?" Beatrix asked.

"Don't worry about me, just take care of my mother." I said. She was hesitant about my demands, but nonetheless climbed into the wagon with my mother and headed north at a slight diagonal towards the Trost gate which was a little more than an hour's ride away by carriage. My mother waved to me with a solemn and bewildered expression. I ran to my fathers grave and picked up the bow and arrows. "Sorry father, but I think I might need this." I was a decent shot, not as good as my father, but I had had some practice. There was a neighboring village not too far from our house. I took to a light run down the road. It wasn't long before I arrived in the settlement that was vacant of activity. It wasn't usually a bustling village, but normally you could hear the local smith at his forge or linen being washed outside in sloshing water. Sometimes even the lighthearted laughter of children. Why didn't I hear anything?

**Thump thump thump. **This time it wasn't the sound of my heart, but of footsteps, seemingly inhuman. I didn't see anything but instinct told me to I run into one of the houses. My breaths grew short in fear. I peaked out of the open doorway, looked right, then left. Nothing.

**Thump thump thump. **Maybe it's just a bad thunderstorm I told myself. The sky argued with me though. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was only then that I noticed the red tinge of the sky. Like blood.

**Thump thump thump. **It got even louder and the next thing I knew, a hole was in the ceiling next to me. A giant hand searched the room aggressively, and I shrieked in sheer terror. My body bolted out of the house and I turned to see a nightmarish sight that made the men who killed my father seem like welcoming angels. It's blue eyes were wide as if it's eyelids had been torn off. The mouth was fixed in a permanent frown with rows of large teeth and red gums. It's nose was prominent and it's hair was messy and greyish brown. The body was something I couldn't even begin to describe. It was disproportionate in more ways than one. Long arms, emancipated torso, dumpy legs. Despite it's warped appearance, it was at least 10 meters tall. This thing. I tried to wrap my head around what it was.

*** "There are creatures called Titans. They can't be reasoned with, they can't be dissuaded from killing you. You either run or you fight. Don't ever just stand there." ***

Levi's words echoed in my head. I knew immediately that I needed a horse. Levi and Hanji went on expeditions outside of the wall and they had horses trained to outrun for speed. Hopefully the one I encountered wouldn't be too fast. In no time, I spotted the stables my and face fell. Of course, the villagers had taken all the horses. I was at a loss. The Titan looked at me with it's frowning face and jerked it's body so that it was nearly sprinting towards me. I wouldn't be able to outrun it so I ducked around the back of a house hoping to find a cellar. The titan punched a hole into yet anothter house and briefly got it's hand caught. I took out the bow and arrow and aimed for the eye.

*** "They Regenerate, so even cannons are mostly useless, but if you're trying to escape, shoot for the eye." ***

Thanks for the advice Hanji. I released the arrow into one of the Titans pupils and it screamed in pain. I ran to another house and found a cellar. It was locked but not from the outside . "Hey there's a Titan out here. Could you let me in!?" I pleaded. I barely heard shuffling and then it stopped. Someone must have told the person that moved not to let anyone in. I looked over my shoulder and saw the Titan break it's hand free, steam rising from it's self healing eye. In my peripheral, a cellar door diagonal of the one I was standing at opened up and an old man ushered for me to go to him. I sprinted for the cellar only to have a large hand impede my escape. The Titan's head lowered to mine and I dodged backwards as his jaw snapped out, missing me by a hair. Seeing this, the old man closed the cellar. I was out of luck again. It was over for me wasn't it? My mother was likely still on her way to Trost. I should have gone with them. Why didn't I? I stood there frozen in place as the Titan's hand begun to close in around me. I was so distraught by my impending doom that I just barely heard the galloping of a horse coming from behind me.

As the Titan raised its hand to bring me to its face, my eyes widened, but not out of panic. I watched in awe as Levi came in sight with his 3d maneuver gear propelling him upwards so that he was flying just above the Titans body. A cord shot into the Titans back and brought Levi to the nape where he twirled his body at a superhuman speed, cutting deeply into the neck. The Titan hand's dropped me unceremoniously on the ground.

"Move!" Levi called. I rolled out of the falling Titan's way, watching as its body begun to deteriorate almost immediately. Were there more in the area? My eyes scanned the village in alarm. No sight of anything so I relaxed, but only a little.

"Thank you, that's twice you've saved my life now." I said gratefully.

"Think nothing of it. Where's your mother?" Levi inquired.

"I told Beatrix to take her to Trost in the wagon when I felt something was wrong and saw the animals fleeing, but... I don't know if they're safe." I told him. I started to panic inwardly. I had only come in contact with one titan, yet that was enough for me to understand exactly why it was that human lived inside walls. They were like the monsters you only believed to be a false myths; folk legends. Not real. Not so much bigger and faster than you that there was no place to run. The more I thought about them, the more the fear showed in my face. What if even my mother's wagon was too slow to outrun them?

"Good survival instinct sending them ahead. We should see if they made it. I'll tell you what happened on the way." Levi said carefully watching my now terrified expression. "I know your still a kid, bur if you let your fear get to you, there's no way you'll be able to help your mother if she's in danger." I was taken aback at how calm he was, but then again Levi had seen Titans already. Judging by his skills with the 10 meter class, he had killed quite a few. I mounted the horse with him and for a moment felt unsure as to where I should put my hands. "You'll fall off if you don't hold on. I ride at top speed."

"Maybe I should get in front then." I commented. We switched positions. His arms circled around me holding the reins of the horse. I grabbed onto the strap in front of me for extra support.

"Wait!" said the voice of the old man who had been hiding in the cellar. I saw quite a few faces peering out of cellar doors. It looked like half the village had escaped on horses and the other half were left to hide from the Titans. Levi sighed behind me.

"Listen up, all of you! Wall Maria has been breached by Titans. You can take your chances and try to make it to Trost on foot or stay in your cellars and wait out death. It will probably take a few days for a rescue team to come and get you, but even that might no be possible." Levi said. "They'll probably abandon everyone here." Levi said in a dropped tone. The next thing I knew, the wind was whipping at my face.

The Captain told me everything. Levi had arrived at our house an hour after we left. He had gone inside and fortunately saw the note I had written for him. "Thank goodness." I commented inwardly. After reading the note, he heard people screaming and commenting on a giant figure looming over the wall. It was a Titan of Colossal size. "Big enough to peer over the wall?" I gasped in disbelief.

"Yes. And it kicked the gate in, letting in all kinds of interesting Titans. We're still evacuating right now. The boats will be headed towards the Trost District. No doubt there will be a lot of food shortages. Wall Maria has the widest area and most farmland. I went by your old house. I figured since no one was inside and there was no carnage, you all had escaped. I'm surprised you didn't hear the alarms earlier." Levi explained.

"I kept hearing things in the distance but no one else heard or felt anything so I thought I was going crazy or something." I said absentmindedly.

"Never doubt your own intuition. If something feels wrong, don't hesitate to cut and run. Hesitating will only get you killed and put those around you in danger."

I suddenly felt anxious; I had to find my mother. We were almost to the entrance to Trost. Levi's horse seemed to fly across the plains that were now overshadowed by the sky painted deep red. How much blood had been spilt already? Mother... please be okay.


	7. Smile and Scream

Chapter 7

The gate was crowded with refuges from Shiganshina. "There's so many of them." I commented inhaling sharply. The sun was nearly out of the sky, and Titans weren't active at night. Nonetheless, there was still enough light left for them to kill us. My eyes traced the field from the gate to the subject of loud resounding footsteps and caught an abnormally large figure on the horizon. It was chasing...

"Levi, we have to get over there now!" I cried. The horse reared and sped towards the wagon. I made out brown hair and my mother's own curly hair in the wind. They were riding fast, but the Titan chasing them was on all fours running like a dog. How could something humanoid even manage that?

"Caria, it's not ideal to try and fend off the Titan with no trees or buildings for the 3d gear to latch onto. I'll try to lead it away from your mother's wagon." Levi said.

"Whatever it takes we have to save them." I insisted desperately. The horse increase its speed, galloping up to the side of the wagon. I saw my mom's eyes widen at the sight of me.

"I'm scared." she mouthed. I couldn't anchor my arms to try and shoot the Titan with Levi's arms closed in around me. Levi steered the horse so that it was inline with the Titan, but it did something he didn't expect. The Titan jumped over the horse and landed next to the wagon startling the saddled horse and toppling my mother and Beatrix to the ground. That wasn't all. Multiple Titans were starting to appear a kilometer away in the distance. If we didn't hurry, we'd be surrounded.

"Dammit, we're near the gate. Why hasn't anyone else shown up?" I cursed. The Titan tossed the wagon aside along with the horse.

"An abnormal eh?" Levi muttered. My mother and Beatrix stumbled away from the Titan. It was an 8 meter class with deep sockets that contained black eyes and dark brown hair. It's mouth was agape as it grasped at my mother.

"Levi can you lower your arms?" I asked. He complied. I took and arrow out and shot the eye of the Titan. It howled in pain just like the last one, but was still determined to devour the humans before it.

"Run for the gate!" I called aiming another arrow at the Titan's other eye. I saw Beatrix running but without my mother. She couldn't... she wouldn't, but she did. Beatrix bolted for the gate without my mother. I shot my second arrow, piercing both eyes of the Titan, but I knew that that wouldn't stop it. I looked around for Levi who flew towards the blinded Titan and sliced the sword into it's flesh. I heard a scream and saw Beatrix in the hands of a Titan. It squeezed her body so tightly that Beatrix seemed to have gone unconscious. I rode the horse over to my mother. Two more Titans were headed towards us.

"Avoid the Titan!" Levi ordered. I didn't want to leave him out here alone with three Titans. However, I knew I had to protect my mother so I relented and rode towards the Trost gate. Beatrix had been swallowed whole by the Titan. I felt remorse despite her willingness to abandon my mother so easily. I guess it should be expected from most humans in the face of death. Would I have done the same thing in her situation?

The Titan that had swallowed Beatrix now turned it's attention to our horse. I steered out of the way of it's crashing hand. We were nearly to the gate which was closing. The last of the refuges were heading through the gate. "We have to make it in time." I thought. An unexpected noise emitted from my mother. I looked behind us and saw the Titan running towards the horse. It had a bloated belly and almost childlike face. It was a 12 meter class. The largest I had seen thus far. The Titan seemed to trip over it's own foot and came flying towards us. The quake of the fall knocked the horse over. My mother and I were only 50 feet from the gate. It was closed and I saw no soldiers outside.

"Those fucking cowards!" I cursed. As the Titan tried to get to it's feet. Another one lunged over it. Levi's maneuver gear cord sailed over our heads and plunged into the lunging Titan from behind. The nape of the Titans neck was cut clean out. I ran with my mother to the gate. More and more Titans were showing up around the wall outside of the Trost District. I heard screams of people in the distance. Here we were trying to escape from hell.

"Caria, I'm on my last set of blades and I'm nearly out of gas." Levi said. He had just killed the Titan that had tripped over, but even more Titans were converging on our position. This was the end.

I heard a sharp exhale over my shoulder. "Levi... take my daughter and get out of here."

I looked in the direction of my mother's voice. I never thought I'd hear it again. Levi looked astonished for the first time as well. My mother smiled at me warmly. Caria... I know you'll grow into a strong woman one day and even more beautiful too. I love you sweetheart. Live... for me and your father." She broke into a sprint towards the Titans.

"Mom what are you doing!?" I screamed. I prepared to chase after her but felt a strong arm tighten around my waist.

"Stop it Levi, let go!" I screamed. The 3d maneuver gear hooked into the wall, raising Levi and I fifteen meters in the air. The Tallest Titan stood before my mom. A sadistic smile seemed to decorate its face.

**Thump thump thump thump.(slow) **Again, my heart was pounding against my chest. I couldn't tear my eyes from my mother. I saw her face for one last moment.

**Thump thump thump thump(regular)** before the Titan raised its foot

**Thump thump thump thump(rapid)** and crushed my mother beneath it's foot, blood splattering the green grass.

And that was it.

I turned my face away from the Titans. At first I felt nothing. Weightless. The scene replayed in my head continuously. I was motionless like a doll in Levi's arms. I knew he watched me intensely as we rose to the apex of the wall. I refused to look at him. All he had done was comply by my mother's final wish and yet it made me angry that he had left her to die. That I left her to die. My fist hit the ground relentlessly until my knuckle was bruised and bloodied. It was dark out now. Eventually I grew weary and sprawled my body on the floor of the wall. Levi came and stood over me. I must have looked so pathetic to him. I succumbed to a trancelike state. How could so much change in a matter of hours? This was all just a very bad dream. It had to be. There were no titans within the walls and hadn't been for one-hundred years.

"It's not real," I said. I stared blanklessly into depths of Levi's eyes. "All of it's fake." I whispered. "Tomorrow when I wake up, the real you will yell at me to clean the kitchen twice and I'll spend hours cleaning, go home and my mother will be-,"

"Dead. Caria your mother is dead." the Captain said with a finality that pissed off.

"No, she's not! My mother's fine. Don't lie about things like that." I insisted angrily.

"Then why are you crying?" Levi pointed out. I choked. This was my reality wasn't it? I had been crying the moment my mother spoke to me. I had tears in my eyes all along. The happy-faced Titan didn't just bring its foot down on her with one blow. It had stomped her to an unrecognizable bloody pulp. Even from my far away distance I could see the happy sadistic smirk. The smirk. The gall. The arrogance. The god complex.

I sat up in an instant. "Why?" I asked no one in particular. There was no answer. "It didn't even devour her! It didn't even squeeze her with his bare hands. It just-jus-!"

"Destroyed her. What more do you expect Caria? I told you the Titans cannot be dissuaded from killing. It's either we kill them or they kill us. And yet it seems like you and other humans are still attempting to rationalize their murdering us." Levi cut in, looking down on me with a bit of disdain in his features.

I rose to my feet in silence. Levi was right. How can you rationalize genocidal monsters? It's pointless. The moon was bright now. It must be at least twenty one-hundred hours. My hair flowed loose from it's ponytail. I looked over the edge of the wall to see Titans leaning against it with their legs out in front of them.

"I'd love to kill them all right here, right now." I seethed. Levi stood next to me. His own dark as night hair shimmering in the light of the moon. He knew how to kill Titans and he could teach me. "I want to join the Survey Corps Levi. Not as a cook, nurse or maid. As a soldier." My expression was hard and unflappable.

"Hmph, you have potential as a soldier. Most people run in fear after having encountered the Titans for the first time. You immediately used your bow to simply gain some ground on them. Your instinct is above average for someone your age as well. In this world you either live in fear of the Titans or for revenge against them. You have my recommendation, but you have to go through training to learn the basics. When you're out, you can join the Survey Corps immediately." Levi confirmed.

"When do I start?"

"Depends. How old are you?" Levi asked.

"I'm 12 and 6 months." I answered. Levi turned to me for a moment. He looked a bit taken aback.

"12. I thought you were closer to 14." He stared at my body.

"Hey wha-what are you staring at?" I blushed.

"I guess you sprouted a bit early then." He specifically eyed my chest which definitely wasn't big but it wasn't flat either like many girls my age.

"You pervert!" I puffed in embarrassment. "How old are _you_ then? If I had to guess personally, I'd say 18 at the most."

"Wrong but I'm not going to tell you. Suddenly I feel older than usual." Levi commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned.

"Nothing. I suggest you start training at 13. You've been through an ordeal and things have to settle first."

"Alright." I agreed. I looked again at the Titans lining the wall before heading to the Trost SC headquarters with Levi. Mother and Father please watch me. I will _never_ be too weak again.

* * *

So as you all have probably noticed. Caria's history bears an uncanny resemblance to Mikasa's and Eren's(nyuk nyuk nyuk). Then again, in the world of Shingeki no Kyojin, whose parents haven't been killed by Titans/human traffikers?

I was watching a video on youtube relative to AoT and someone pointed out how parents are usually either dead or nonexistent in animes(or video games even). Just food for the thought. I think it's because while parents shape us, they also probably wouldn't let their child go out and play hero. Plus, main characters are so awesome, like Eren, that they don't need parents. I guess parents just get in the way of characters establishing independence. But that's just what I theorize. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

added note: the Titan that killed Caria's mother isn't the same smiling titan that killed Eren's mother. It's a different one.


	8. The Next Step

I apologize for the lack of Levi in the next couple chapters. He'll be in reference, but not actually present during Caria's "growth period". I also wanted to note that some of the characters names may be off. I've seen 3 different spellings for Sasha's last name so I just chose the one that looked best to me. The same goes for other characters. I've seen Nac Tius called Nic in the anime but I'm not sure which spelling is correct so I hope it doesn't bother anyone too much.

* * *

Chapter 8

Time Skip: Summer 846

Caria Wolf: 13 and 8 months.

***bold*** = brief flashback to specific character quote or event

* * *

Keith Shadis, once commander of the Survey Corps, left his position to train recruits. Now he instructs the 104th Trainees Squad. My squad.

"Hey you there!" Keith shouted.

"Yes sir!" replied a blonde haired boy. Armin Arlert from Shiganshina. The commander proceeded to address him in a demeaning manner. I stood diagonally behind him by three rows of recruits but even from my position, I could sense his fear. Already I knew he was the type to turn and run; to hesitate in the shadow of a Titan. Keith continued down the line. Trainee to trainee. I noticed he skipped some. I knew why though.

*** You'll probably end up with Keith Shadis. He used to be the commander before Erwin but left due to the many failures he had when leading expeditions. I've had the pleasure of seeing how he breaks the recruits down. Insulting those with a weak disposition and forcing them to become stronger. Don't appear weak when he comes to you. ***

I was lucky to receive Levi's advice before I left. I wouldn't see him for at least another 3 years. I wouldn't admit it, but I had grown to like him. I even bet him that I would surpass him when I returned from training. If I got stronger than him, then I would take his position as Captain and he would work under me. If not, I was going to the Survey Corps Special Operations Squad commanded personally by Captain Levi himself.

Both of the soldiers on either side of me shook with fear. The instructor was describing how Titans regurgitated humans once their bodies became filled with them. I was already aware of this yet hearing it again only made me angrier, further strengthening my resolve. When the head instructor got to my line I straightened up and bore a facial expression that rivaled Levi's usual apathetic face. He addressed 7 trainees, skipped 1 and finally ended up at me.

"You...I know you." the instructor said hesitantly. He wasn't shouting but speaking regularly. My right arm shot out and stopped a hair from my chest as I gave Kieth Shadis a firm salute. My stare was hard, eyes unblinking. "Hmph, Levi has high expectations for you, I trust you won't disappoint." He said turing away from me with a satisfied grunt. The girl to the left peered at me curiously. The majority of the troops had yet to see an actual titan. Those that had were either more afraid or less. There were hundreds of trainees here. I began to zone out. People died during training. Could it really be that hard? And what about that bet? The captain's capable of downing Titans with ease. And he's so damn precise about it. As if he was bred to kill the monsters. What the hell was I thinking challenging him? He's leagues ahead of me.

"I'm motherfucking talking to you! Who the fuck do you think you are!? " the instructor yelled angrily successfully pulling me out of my thoughts.. I heard a series of gasps and chuckles. I turned my face to the side and saw a girl not too far behind me holding a...potato. My face deadpanned. Surely she couldn't be serious? Or at least that's what I thought until she started explain herself. Her name was Sasha Braus from the Southern Wall Rose village of Dauper.

"Sasha Braus. What is that you're holding in your right hand?"

"It's a boiled potato sir! I saw it in the kitchen and it looked delicious." She said with no hint of joking in her expression.

"So you stole it? Why? Why would you _choose _to eat it now?" He asked in disbelief.

"Potatoes are much more delicious when they're hot. I thought I should act swiftly." At this point everyone was silent. You could even hear the summer breeze blow past your face.

"No. I still. Don't. Get it. Why would you _eat _a potato?"

"You seriously don't know why human beings eat potatoes?" the girl asked with a confused look. She looked down at the ground and then raised her head abruptly, eyes widened as if she had an epiphany. She quickly broke a piece of her boiled potato and offered it to the instructor with a sheepish grin. I imagined if Commander Erwin stood before her, he would probably tell her exactly why what she was doing didn't make sense. Levi would have simply kicked her ass. Instructor Kieth; however, merely stood dumbstruck in front of the girl. I myself wouldn't know what to say. I heard the instructor give a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples as if they ached.

"You have two choices Sasha Blaus. You either give up your meals for the week or you will run laps until you drop." The instructor ordered.

"I guess I'll run, but I have a question sir. Are you going to eat the piece of potato I gave you?" My mouth fell open. This girl was insane. The instructor took the other half of the potato from Sasha and threw it on the ground along with his piece. The girl shrieked and fell to her knee.

"Get moving now! Or you'll be running laps and going without meals for the rest of the week!" The commander screamed. With that, the girl sprung to her feet and ran down the line of recruits who looked after her with uncertainty.

At dinner, I found a corner and sat on the floor away from everyone. I noticed a whole band of recruits were crowded around a table. A kid name Eren Yeager was being questioned about the attack on Shiganshina by the Titans. I sighed in frustration. Sure they were curious now, but most of them would have their curiosity exchanged with horror once they saw a real live Titan.

* **Thump thump thump**

"**Beatrix, Take my mother to the Trost District"**

"**I'm scared."**

"**Mom! What are you doing!"**

"**Stop it Levi! Let go! **_**Let go! **_

**Thump thump thump ***

"Hey are you okay? You're gasping for air like you're having trouble breathing." I looked up at a dark haired young man. He bore a concerned expression.

"I'm fine, I-I just need to get some air." I ignored the stares and hurried outside. Breath in. Breath out. I closed my eyes and inhaled and exhaled repeatedly.

"Hey, I brought you your food." I turned to see the same man from earlier. He was relatively tall; 5'11". His dark brown hair was combed back and his soft olive green eyes smiled at my hazel ones.

"Thank you." I blushed slightly. I took the food gratefully and set it on the rail of the porch.

"You know, you're really pretty. There aren't many girls that look like you." he complimented.

"Eh?" was all I could manage.

"Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. What's your name? Mine's Nac Tius." he introduced himself and offered me a hand.

"C-caria." I stuttered. "Caria Wolf." I took his hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you Caria." he said politely. I looked up at the sky, taking small bites of my food. Nac leaned on the rail with me, silently looking ahead.

"Was it the talk about what happened in Shiganshina that bothered you?" Nac asked offhandedly. I nearly gagged on my food and started coughing. "Woops. Didn't mean to make you choke. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. The others are acting like curious children about the whole thing. They're still on the outside looking in." I glanced at Nac carefully. Was he from Shiganshina too?

"I get flashbacks sometimes. I try not to think about it but it's still so close in time that it'll take longer for me to... get over everything that's happened."I said.

"The recruits that left today are probably the ones who lost their parents. You've got guts for sticking around." he smiled.

"Yea. I have to complete my trained, and then it's straight to the Survey Corps."

"Wait...what?! You want to join them?!" Nac exclaimed.

"Well yea." I furrowed my brows.

"I see. So that's why the instructor didn't ask for your name and reason for being here. You already have a resolve." Nac muttered. I finished my plate and went inside leaving him behind.

*** The Survey Corps. Most who enter will die almost instantly. We aren't pissing around like the Garrison or looking out for our own asses like the MP. Our lives are sacrificed to give humanity any chance they have at surviving the Titans. We don't have many entering the cause because of the high death rate. And that's fine. I say fuck them. When the time comes for them to fight, they won't be ready. Us on the other hand, we'll keep fighting. Until every last one of those things are dead. Or we are. *** **-Captain Levi**


	9. The One With Good Posture Passes

Chapter 9

In the morning was aptitude training. I got up and went to the washroom to relieve myself and clean up before going out. I got a wet cloth and began scrubbing my skin. I put my hair up in a pony tail with wavy bangs on either side of my head. Today we were instructed to wear our new uniforms. Mine consisted of light grey pants, a light grey button up shirt, a short tan jacket with outer pockets, a burgundy sash covering the waist, knee high dark brown boots with the same burgundy tinge, and finally the full body belt meant for the use of the 3-d maneuver gear. I had grown slightly curvier in the past nine months and noticed to my discomfort, how the button up shirt hugged my body. My chest had grown a bit larger as well as my thighs.

***He stared at my body.**

"**Hey wha-what are you staring at?" I blushed. **

"**I guess you sprouted a bit early then." ***

Ugh why was I remembering that now? "Stupid pervert." I muttered.

"Relax I'm just admiring the female form." said a voice from behind me. I squeaked and turned around to see a girl with dark brown hair and freckles. She was probably the tallest girl of the trainees. She strode towards me and stopped only a few inches away from my face. "I'm Ymir, nice to meet you." She said smiling slyly. I blushed unable to speak. "You're a cute girl. If my heart weren't already taken with someone, I might just snatch you up." she winked. Her eyes trailed down my figure. "My, my. The guys will take a liking to you." Her hand reached out and stroked my cheek in an affectionate manner. "See you around." With that she left the washroom. I just stood there blankly for a while before sighing thoughtfully and putting on the tan jacket, thus completing my outfit. I wasn't interested in women, but still, I had to admit that Ymir was a good looking girl.

* * *

"Listen up! First off is the aptitude test! You worms aren't even good for bait if you fail this!" yelled instructor Keith. Levi had said something similar to me. If I failed this, he'd probably torture me or assign some ridiculous cleaning chore that involved suspending me from the roof to clean the windows. Although the thought of going to work in the landfills was even less desirable than facing Levi or Titans. I had to keep three things in mind. Mental fortitude, spatial awareness and leg strength. I looked around to see that there were many who successfully stayed suspended in their body belts and others who flipped upside down. This was no joke. Training was so intense that I could die if I wasn't up to the task.

"Caria Wolf! You're up!" boomed the voice of the instructor. Inhale. Exhale. I was nervous, but I refused to let it show. I prepared myself mentally and flexed my calf and thigh muscles. Soon, I was up in the air. I struggled a bit at first. The damn suspender kept moving. Somehow I managed to stay suspended for the allotted time period. "Time's up!" shouted the instructor. I felt my spirits drop as the disappointed face of the instructor looked down at me.

"You were shaking too much. Captain Levi had a reputation for being completely still in the suspender when he underwent his training." the bald instructor said. My expression hardened and I went to the next training area which involved running laps and working on physical endurance. What couldn't be achieved through natural talent would be gained with hard work I determined.

Training lasted from morning till night and all the recruits eventually ended up in the dining hall. Soup and bread was served again. The heartier meals would only be given to those who passed the aptitude test and began the initiation into becoming a real soldier.

"Hey over here!" waved Nac. I paused at the overly eager smile plastered on his face but headed over to his position anyways and sat down. At the table was Mylius Zeramuski, Krista and Ymir. Ymir secretively winked at me and I nervously waved at her before sitting down. "You looked great up there today. Suspending I mean." Nac complimented.

"Thanks, but I was nervous. The instructor said I was shaking too much." I replied. Nac shook his head and started talking about great I was. Meanwhile my thoughts were elsewhere. What if I fell tomorrow? I'd be sent work in the fields and have to wait another year. That was not an option I could accept. "I'm gonna go meditate on and work on my balance" I said quickly to Nac who was still rambling. I wasn't even sure if he'd heard me because he just kept talking. Ymir eyed curiously me before I left but didn't say anything. I went to the female recruits quarters and sat on my bunk silently meditating and searching inside myself for the answer. It was something my father had taught me from the basis of Oriental traditions he had studied based on drawings from scripture. Unfortunately, most records of different kinds of humans were often destroyed since it involved a lot of _history_.

Focus, regulate breathing, clear the mind. I was spatially aware. Mentally fortified and strong in the legs. While I wasn't failing, I wasn't perfect. "And you can't beat Levi unless you're the best of the best" I inwardly scolded.

"Hey." I turned and saw Mikasa Ackerman staring at me intently.

"Hello." I greeted. I continued to meditate but felt eyes watching my. I peeked my right eye open to see Mikasa still standing there. "I'm sorry, was there something you needed?" I asked. I wondered if I had said that bit about Levi aloud. Sometimes my thoughts just spilled out from my tongue.

"Caria Wolf right? You were in Shiganshina weren't you?" Mikasa questioned.

"Yes and no. My house was, but I wasn't there at the time. I was visiting my father's grave with my mother." I replied solemnly. "She was killed by a Titan before we could make it into Trost. My father. He was killed before her by human traffickers. Not Titans."

"Eh?! Mikasa gasped. I turned my head fully to look at her, confused by her surprised expression. "My parents were both killed by human traffickers."

Together we began to discuss the death of our parents. While our stories were horrifying, it was somehow comforting to have mutual understanding. Titans were terrible, but so were human beings at times.

"Eren Yeager... he saved you?" I asked unbelieving. How does a 9 year old boy manage to successfully fend off more than one grown man? I had been eleven when the bastards came and killed my father, yet I wasn't able to do anything. Mikasa watched me for a moment.

"Who saved you?" she asked.

"Captain Levi of the Survey Corps. I owe him for saving my life. Twice actually. He saved my mother too… before she was crushed by a Titan." I took a sidelong glance at Mikasa and was startled when I noticed that she was curiously eying me all over.

"Oh, I- I was just thinking. Your skin and your eyes they're..." she stuttered embarrassed. I smiled at her to assure her that I wasn't creeped out. After all, Ymir and Levi were a lot creepier.

"It's okay. I understand. My father is German and my mother came from south east of the Sahara. She told me that people like her had established a small population in this country for generations before the walls were eventually built." I couldn't tell Mikasa much more though. I'm sure my mother kept more information in the journals she had written in, but those were in the Shiganshina district. And even more painful was the fact that I would never be able to ask my mother anything ever again. "What about you?" I asked Mikasa.

"My mom was Oriental and my father was German. The kidnappers didn't hesitate to kill her when she defended herself from them. And _that _was actually an accident. They hadn't even planned on killing her." Mikasa answered with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I at least got to be with my mother for a little while longer. Maybe we should change the subject. I'm sure our parents wouldn't want us dwelling on their deaths. We just have to be strong for them and survive." I smiled at Mikasa.

"You sound like Eren." she said returning the gesture. "Hmm, we should get some sleep before tomorrow's test."

"Sounds good but I have to train more. My balance is just barely passable."

"Oh? Eren is having trouble too. Armin and I tried to help him but he just went topside to the ground after a couple seconds of being suspended."

"Eren eh? He has more drive than anyone here. How could someone like him not make it?" I commented more to myself than to Mikasa. Even if he didn't have the talent, the sheer power of his will should have been enough to keep his upright. I had heard that he wanted to join the Recon while others were trying their best to get into the military police just so they could escape fighting the titans. He was worthy of being a soldier already in my eyes.

"It was nice talking with you. I guess I'll see you in the morning then." I nodded and turned to leave as Mikasa went to start changing out of her casual wear. I had to find out what was wrong with my balance. It was dark out but if I changed quickly enough I could make it to the aptitude training area and practice.

"Hey Mikasa! I know you need your sleep, but could you help set me up outside?" I asked just as she was about to unbutton her top. She stopped herself and nodded. "I'll go suit up." I called jogging over to the changing room.

It was dark outside, but the moonlight was enough for us to see everything without tripping over each other. Mikasa hooked my belts to the clasps and as soon as I was ready, she cranked the suspender. I felt the belt tighten around my hips. My arms were out at either side of me as I attempted to teeter into a good balance. As I shifted around, I heard footsteps come closer and looked up to see Mikasa who stopped just a foot away from me.

"Be still." she ordered. I stopped moving but could feel myself falling forward. Mikasa's hand shot out to my stomach. "Clench your abdomen." I did as she instructed without question. "Hmm, your problem is your posture." I saw her eyes moved from my abdomen and trailed upwards. "These must be weighing you down." Mikasa said blankly cupping my breast. My face deadpanned.

"Not you too!" I cried out in disbelief.

* * *

The next morning I woke up early and prepared myself for the aptitude test. This was it, my deciding moment.

"Good Luck Caria." Mikasa said to me as I went up to the suspender. "Believe in yourself." I narrowed my eyes at her accusingly and saw her smile brightly. She knew exactly why I gave her that look. Last night after she had "pointed out" my problem, I realized that she was right all along. Because of the weight on my upper body, I had been leaning forward too much. I often slouched a bit even when I wasn't trying to dangle in the air. If I shifted my weight more to my back, I floated almost perfectly. I could only hope for a less petite frame and taller form as I got older to counteract the weight on my chest.

"Let's see what you can do." said the instructor watching me carefully. I inhaled and exhaled.

"I can do this." I inwardly reassured myself

The crank turned and I floated still in the air. All I had to do was relax and lean back a little.

"That's amazing!" said a voice from the spectators

"How does she do that?!" said another.

"3...2...1! You're done!" the instructor shouted. I was released from the suspender. Nac came up to me and hugged me tightly. "I knew you could do it! You were perfect! As still as a stone. Maybe even better than Ackerman." I blushed and noticed eyes on us.

"Gee thanks," I told Nac, trying to put a bit of distance between us.

"Hey get back in line recruit!" yelled Keith Shadis shooing Nac away to my delight. "Congratulations. That was quite an improvement from yesterday." he said almost with an undertone of suspicion.

"Well, if I'm gonna surpass Levi, I have to be the best." I grinned.

"Well Levi is referred to as humanity's best soldier so you're going to have to be perfect at damn near everything." The instructor commented.

Oh I'll surpass him alright. And then I'll kick his 5'2" ass! The damned pervert!

Eh? Everyone around me had widened eyes.

"Did I say that out loud?"

The instructor nodded slowly, giving me the same look he gave Sasha Braus.

"Damn it!" I cursed. Somewhere, Levi was laughing at me.

*End Chapter*

* * *

*Author comments*

Oh Caria, one must think before they speak. Everyone's a pervert to the poor girl. -_-

I want to thank reviewers for their support. You guys are great and I'm glad you like the story. I shall give you a random fact. ^_^

I got Caria's name from a random German name generator(which isn't as authentic as I once believed)

According to Babynology, Caria means "man"(yikes). And I've looked it up on other places but it just shows up as Carla instead(maybe a typo in the generator). Anyways, I've taken a liking to the name so I won't randomly go back through every chapter and change her name.(hehehe)

But still, in Latin, Caria means "rotten" (double yikes)

At least it's something I can laugh about and curse the name generator in vain for. Just thought you all ought to know(if you actually read these comments). Ciao.


	10. Still The Same Creep

Chapter 10

Time Skip: Year 850

Caria Wolf: 17

* * *

"Hands on your hearts"!

"Yes sir!" we cried. Finally... we did it. We really made it this far. I scanned the faces of the girls and boys I grew up with. All of us smiled proudly. Tonight we graduated into full fledged soldiers. From the day Keith Shadis went from recruit to recruit, demanding from them a purpose, to now. We celebrated the graduating, grieved for the fallen and turned our cheeks at those who gave up. We understood why; it was their choice to flee. Not everyone who had gone through the training survived and I myself almost wanted to give up more than once. _Almost. _

"For you trainees graduating today, three paths now lay open before you! You can be stationed at the walls and defend the cities as members of the Garrison. You can put your lives on the line to fight Titans in their own territory as members of the Survey Corps. And you can serve the king by controlling the crowds and protecting order as members of the Military Police Brigade. Now... normally it's only the top ten who are allowed into the Military Police Brigade; however, this time humanity has been gifted with not one but two soldiers that excelled in every aspect of training. When I call your names, both 1st ranked students step forward!" announced the military officer. "Mikasa Ackerman."

"No surprise there." said Jean's voice.

"She's so cool!" Sasha cooed. She had become a fan of the raven haired girl throughout their years together.

"And the second student ranking in first place is... Caria Wolf!" I took a step forward and looked to the left of me to see Mikasa. After the aptitude test we began training together; constantly competing with each other up until the day of graduation. At first our rivalry had been subtle. If her sword cut deep into the titan practice dummies, so would mine. If she threw a punch, I parried with a steady block. We pulled and pushed each other, almost like we were dancing. In time, we reached a mutual agreement to improve each other's weaknesses and counter each other's strengths.

As expected, we turned towards one another, walked forward and shook hands. Both of us wore a knowing smile. I couldn't imagine a better rival.

"Congratulations to you both. I know you'll do humanity proud." Keith Shadis boomed. I looked down the line of the other top graduates. Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Eren, Jean, Marco, Connie, Sasha, and Krista. Sasha caught me off guard along with Connie and Krista. I was also surprised that Ymir didn't make it to the top ten. It didn't seem like she was ever worn out from training. Sometimes it almost seemed like she was _holding back_.

After the entire ceremony ended, the celebration began. Everyone else had already changed out of uniform and crowded into the giant graduates hall while I had gone to use the bathroom immediately after the ritual ended. I cursed myself for thinking I could wait until after the ceremony was over. At least I hadn't pissed my pants. I decided to stay in uniform since I'd probably meet the Recon Unit after the graduates celebration was over. Just as my hand reached out for the door to the building with drinking graduates; happy, depressed or both, Keith Shadis appeared behind me.

"Yahhh!" I yelped at the sudden hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw the deep sunken eyes of the instructor. "Geez, why do you always have to have that expression. It's like you just saw a damn Titan peer over the wall or something?!" I snapped.

"Oh, well it's not intentional. Anyways, as you know, Levi arranged for you to join the SC immediately. As in upon graduation. Normally you'd have to go through the Recon Unit's speech but since you were already their..um.. maid, I guess you get immediate promotion or something. He's waiting for you at the Trost headquarters not too far from here." the instructor relayed. I sighed irritably.

"Can't he wait a bit. I wanted to celebrate with the others." I whined.

"I understand, but knowing Levi, if you didn't show up, he'll hunt you down himself." Keith said nervously scratching his head. If I didn't go, it might be the instructor's ass on the line as well.

"Alright, I'll go, but he better have a damned reception waiting for me there." I huffed. I waved to the instructor who looked relieved that I was going.

I opened the door to the Trost headquarters. Everything was silent, and there was but a single candle flickering in the window.

"Hello!" I called. No answer. I went up the stairs and looked around in every room. All empty. "Where is everyone?!" I called again. I walked downstairs again. No one. "Ugh! This is bullshit! I'm leaving!" I hollered. I stepped outside of the building and headed right back down to the graduates celebration. What a waste of time that was.

"Gee, you sure are late to the party, what happened to you?! said Nac a little too closely in my ear. He had called me over to a corner as soon as he saw me enter the building. He was sitting with his close friend Mylius and a few other graduates I wasn't too familiar with. Over our years of training, I warmed up to Nac a bit and counted him amongst my friends although I still had trouble getting it across to him that I was _only _interested in fighting Titans.

"I thought that I was going to officially join the Survey Corps tonight but no one was there." I sighed.

"Going to work already? You should learn to relax eh Caria." Nac said in a low voice, slithering an arm around my waist. There were a lot of graduates around although some left to bring the good news of to their families. If they had families.

"Nac, don't you have family who might want to know you graduated?" I asked trying to unclamp his hand from around my waist but to no avail.

"No, just my dad but he never cared. My mother was outside wall Maria when the Titans came and well, you know the rest." he said woefully.

"I'm sorry. Your father must be proud of you for joining up though, right? You should tell him about it."

"Yeah I suppose but tonight I just want to be around friends and you." he said turning my face towards him. Just as he was about to bring my face to his the doors slammed open. I snapped my head in the direction of the person who managed to silence an entire hall of graduates with their presence alone.

"Whoa that's Captain Levi from the Recon Unit!" someone gasped.

"Really? Wow he's a lot shorter when he's not on a horse." commented someone else.

"Maybe he's here to personally recruit people." a third voice joined.

"I hear he can be rough. If you refuse to join, let him down gently." Multiple voices started talking about the dark haired man's entrance.

"Hey brats, quiet down! I'm looking for a girl with brown skin, hazel eyes and wavy black hair." Levi announced. The whole room went silent. There was only one graduate that fit into his description. Before stares could be directed my way. I slipped under the table. I had to escape... but where? I peeked around from underneath the table. Ah! The back door! Of course! I crawled my way towards the door and slipped through it before anyone could see me.

"Phew! That was close!" I sighed in relieve.

"What was close?" said a familiar voice. It was Hanji.

"What the—what are you doing back here?"

"Well, you know, Levi does think ahead about this kind of thing. He suggested I cover the back entrance and here you are!" Hanji smiled.

"Ugh, why are you guys here? I went to the Trost HQ just like instructor Shadis suggested and no one was there."

"That place? We sent someone there to wait for you? I guess they must have gotten lost. Besides, that's for SC business. Levi actually has a place of his own in Trost." Hanji confirmed.

"Great, Levi's angry isn't he? If he is I'm in for it. Cleaning for days on end no doubt." I groaned sliding to the ground.

"I can't always tell even after all these years. That man is almost as mysterious as the Titans, but certainly no where near as interesting." Hanji commented "Well I guess I better let him know you're here."

"Wait don't!" I cried as Hanji opened the back door of the graduates hall.

"Oy Levi! Over here!" Hanji called. "Geez, he was already hand on collar with one of your peers. He must be pretty irritated." Hanji noted.

"And that's my cue to leave. Bye!" I turned on my heel and was about to bolt away, but cried out in pain as a hand grabbed my tresses and pulled me back. My hair came loose from it's neat ponytail and the next thing I knew I was thrown back to the wall with pale hands on either side of my body impeding me from escape.

"Hanji, go tell the others that they'll be meeting our latest recruit soon, we have a pretty early morning tomorrow and they're probably tired of waiting." the Captain ordered. I didn't dare breath. Hanji smiled at me apologetically before slipping away to safety from Levi's wrath. Now I was alone with Levi outside in the back of the graduates hall. I was so dead. And I had just graduated too. Damn.

Nervously, I brought my eyes up to look at the Captain who silently examined me with an intensity that almost made me squirm with discomfort. His piercing grey eyes went from my hair to my eyes to my lips to my...chest?! My eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"You haven't changed one bit! I swear, you'd think after over three years a guy would grow a bit more decent, but you're still a pervert!" I complained. To my surprise, his face softened a bit and he let his arms fall to his sides. A hint of a smirk decorated his lips. Without a word, he turned out of the alleyway towards the street. My mind went blank and I stood stupefied for a moment at his lack of anger or anything for that matter. Soon enough I followed him, knowing he wouldn't let my off the hook again if I tried to slip away. Corner after corner, we turned. I gradually worked up the nerve to say something. It had been so long since I had last seen him. I looked at his back as he strode along in front of me. He hadn't grown any taller since I'd last seen him. That could only mean he was actually older than I thought. Or unlucky. "I-!"

"We're here." Levi announced, cutting me off. The building we arrived at was a street corner house. It's structure consisted of deep burgundy bricks and three floors. Flickering candles peeked out from every window. Before we went in, Levi turned to me. I nearly bumped into him because he had just stopped so abruptly.

"What?" I inquired.

"I'm surprised they let you keep your hair so long." Levi commented grabbing one of my strands.

"I put it up and out of the way so it's never been an issue." I said.

"I disagree. Even your ponytail is too long. As a new cadet in the Survey Crops, you have to take measures so that there's no potential of anything getting in your way." Levi retorted.

"Yea, yea." I replied dully waving off the Captain's concern. I walked into the house leaving Levi behind. Upon entering, I noticed an extravagant carpet, bookcases, and odd decorations that probably had some artistic value. Though I wasn't one for art. I was greeted by Erwin, Hanji, and a few others who looked unfamiliar to me.

My eyes went down the line of soldiers from the Survey Corps. There were only four besides Erwin, Levi and Hanji. It took me a moment to recognize Eld Jinn and Gunther Schultz. The other two soldiers were a short young woman with light ginger hair and golden eyes similar to mine but more of a brown tinge than yellow. Her name was Petra Ral. The second man baffled me a bit. He was in uniform with a cravat just like Levi. He looked older than the Captain, but sported an undercut with dirty blond that curled at the end. When I came to shake his hand, he looked down at me as if I was unappealing.

"I hope you clean as well as you look." he said in an oddly familiar tone. Was he...imitating Levi?

"Oh don't mind him, he's just out of his mind." said Petra whacking Oluo over the head. I scratched my head uncertainly and turned around.

"Wow you've really grown." Erwin commented coming to shake my hand and congratulate me.

"Yeah in more ways than one." Eld failed to whisper to Gunther.

"I heard that." I said with a fist.

"Caria, besides Hanji and I, these soldiers are some of the best that the Survey Corps has to offer. You'll meet the bulk of the unit tomorrow before the expedition." Erwin stated.

"Hanji or Petra, I need your help cutting Caria's hair tomorrow." Levi said interrupting my introduction. I spun around to face him.

"Listen I'm not interested in having that ridiculous undercut you have, so there's no way I'm cutting my hair." I protested. I heard a few snickers from Gunther and Eld. "Besides, we had a bet. If I became stronger than you, I would become Captain." The snickering stopped and suddenly everything was silent. I looked around at the SC members, each of them now bearing a nervous countenance.

"Well we've been here for a while but it's getting late so we're gonna head out." Erwin said excusing himself. The others seemed to follow Erwin's lead nearly running out the door. I blankly stared after them. I had only just arrived. Hanji was the last to pass by me.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked.

"I was planning on doing more Titan related research tonight so uh... gotta go." Hanji waved goodbye and disappeared out of sight.

Just like that I was alone. Again. With Levi. I felt a sudden shift in the air around me and my heart beat sped up as I was swept off my feet. Where I had once been standing, I was now floating, rested on Levi's hands.

**Thump thump thump thump thump thump**

"Scared Caria?" Levi's voice brushed against my ear. I tried to register what had happened but I couldn't even fathom it. My back hadn't even hit the floor. Levi was able to sweep my feet from under me and catch me before I fell. That took skill. However... Using my right hand, I grabbed the back of Levi's head and brought it closer to my face. Just three inches away.

"Not even close." I whispered. Levi's eyes widened. I rolled off of Levi's hands into a crouch and aimed a sweeping kick at his heel as I had done before when training with Mikasa. There was no way in hell Levi was gonna impress me so easily after all the training I'd gone through. He dodged my kick and his expression hardened. Now we were both serious.

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Twas a long chapter, and most of them will be. It kind of sucks writing a fanfiction for an incomplete series that's pretty young or so I'm finding. I want to stick with the main storyline as much as possible while adding in Caria's parts and my own little tweeks. I'm gonna have to space the chapters out farther apart since more of Levi's life is being revealed which may contradict a few things but I supposed the same thing happened with Itachi from Naruto. I read just about every SNK side story so it will definitely influence the story bit.

I'm watching the anime again and I will likely end up making multiple stories. I prefer anime Levi to Manga just because it's a bit clearer to go off of(in my opinion). I've also been running into the time period issue. I've researched a crap ton of stuff relating to the 19th century since I feel like the technology is most similar to mid 1800s save for the epic 3D maneuver gear. The year is 844-850 so far but it's already been addressed that while SNK is based off of earth, it's still a different reality. Thus I could simply take artistic liberty with certain inventions. The hygiene is what gets to me the most. I noticed Mikasa using a water pump in the first episode but those were invented long long ago. I even looked up syringes from the episode where Eren's father inject's him and the syringe style points to mid-late 1800s. There's also the glasses that Hanji wears that appear more late 19th century maybe even early 20th. I'm not sure what kind of bathing goes on although hygiene is clearly important and they seem to understand that.(cough Levi cough) I'm thinking they probably have early tooth brushes at least and maybe tooth power(popular before toothpaste) so you may see those things being talked about. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Ciao.


	11. What's Old is New Again

Hello readers. I'm sure you've all heard the news about Levi. If you haven't I'm surprised but won't spoil it for you. It certainly threw me off. Hajime Isayama is quite the writer and this anime/manga is becoming my all time favorite(sorry Naruto Shippuden but your fillers are pushing me away). Anyways. I'm madly awaiting the next chapter of SNK and of Levi's side story because a time frame has been revealed and that will most certainly affect my fanfic. I plan to do a timeline of Caria's life and Levi's life together eventually. And speaking of those two. I'm working on the cover picture. I have to say that I surprised myself with how it looks so far. I'm using Adobe Illustrator and so far so good. Hopefully the author of SNK will reveal more about Levi soon. Anyways on the 11th chapter. Tis long. I hope you all enjoy it.

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_Italics- added_ _emphasis_

_**Bold = sounds **_

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Chapter 11

The battle had lasted for almost half an hour before Levi eventually won. He nearly broke my neck when he put me in a suffocating headlock. It was either give in or die trying to beat him. Common sense won over pride. I tapped him twice to indicate my surrender. His arms released me and I collapsed on the carpet. I felt a bit sore in places that were sure to flare up in pain the next morning. I sat up and turned my neck from side to side and contorted my back until I received a satisfying pop. Levi looked down on me in a way that wasn't condescending but appreciative. He admitted to my delight that I had actually pushed him further than he thought possible although I was still no match for him in the end. I had spent most of my time countering and blocking him while he had been on the offense throwing kicks, punches, sweeps and the occasional cheap shot. The bastard.

"Keith Shadis told me you graduated at the top with Mikasa Ackerman." Levi stated blankly. I zeroed in on his mouth and noticed a bruise on his lip from our fight. A satisfied smile broke across my face. "What's that smirk for?" he asked, face impassive as usual.

"Nothing nothing." I got up from my laid back position and stretched. "What time is it?"

"Probably close to midnight." Levi answered.

"Hey, why haven't you grown any since I last saw you?" I questioned curiously. He had said that he wasn't eighteen so I had assumed him to be younger. Although if I really thought about it, the age to enroll in the military was around twelve and their was training which most people graduated from at age fifteen or later if they hadn't signed up for the military as soon as they were of age, such as myself. I actually didn't know much of the Captain's history so it was impossible for me to pinpoint when he had joined the military or to estimate his age.

"You ask too many questions." Levi responded. "I'm a lot older than you think I am." His stare suddenly made me feel smaller. It was telling me not to delve any further but I couldn't help but wonder. I was still curious like the little girl that Levi had first met about six years ago.

"I never said anything about age." I said playing coy.

"No but you were thinking it." Levi sighed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I retorted while fluttering my eyelashes innocently. "Besides, I just find it strange that I'm seventeen now and I'm 5'1" and you're still at an unimpressive 5'2" and you're..." I motioned with my hand for him to finish my sentence but he didn't take the bait. Instead he did an about face and walked up the stairs, leaving me clueless as to how old he was. I sighed in defeat. I'd just have to coax it out of him with careful planning and good strategy. For now, I'd drop the subject, or ask someone else he knew about it. I decided to go up the stairs and ask him about my addition to the Survey Corps instead. There were five rooms on the second floor including a washroom facing a bedroom; the kitchen which faced the sitting room; and a giant closet near the staircase to the third floor with loads of cleaning tools. I shook my head and rolled my eyes upon seeing the various brooms he had stored away. "Levi! Where'd you go?!" I hollered. I went up to the last level of the house which consisted of four bedrooms. The last room on the end had a close door. I tiptoed up to it and put my left ear against it. Was this Levi's room?

"What the hell are you doing?" sounded a voice from behind me. I hopped up in shock. Apparently Levi had been in the room across from the one I was leaning against. He gave me a bored expression which I returned with my own sheepish grin. "Hmph. You haven't changed much either. I can't decide if you're just as obnoxious as you were or more so. Oh and it's 5'3". You've always been off by an inch." he said crossing his arms.

"5'2", 5'3"; you're still short and I have changed! Your heads just too far up your ass for you to notice." I said, lowering my voice on the last part.

"I'm still taller than you and while your _physical _changes are _more than _evident; I'm not convinced when it comes to everything else." the Captain remarked. I ignored his no doubt baited comment about my body.

"Alright fine. I understand. So then, my hair has to be cut doesn't it? How low?" I asked crossing my arms.

"Right here." Levi's hand went five inches below my shoulder. I frowned at the position of his hand. It had been at that height back before I enlisted. As my hair was now, it was just above my rear when out of its customary ponytail. Levi watched me carefully; waiting for me to protest. Instead, I conceded with his decision.

"It's just hair. I'll live." I said evenly.

"Glad you're on board. You'll be sleeping in the room across from mine." I strode past the Captain into a cozy room with ample candlelight, a freshly made bed, and polished stone floors. Everything smelled so fresh. "The Trost HQ is undergoing a small renovation so you and I will be staying here for tonight. I retrieved your belongings as well. They're on top of the armoire. Tomorrow we leave at 800 hours. Four eyes was tinkering with a clock on the second floor and it's set to chime at 600 hours. It's fucking noisy so it should wake you up."

"Yes sir." I inclined my head and turned towards the bedroom.

"One more thing... tomorrow is our expedition beyond the wall. Your first excursion. Simulations put you to the test but they're still not the same as facing the real thing. Casualties are normal so don't try to play hero if someone is in trouble. It's best to leave the saving to more experienced soldiers. Even I was assisted with my first Titan kill." Levi said.

"Really? By who?" I asked. It was hard to imagine Levi ever needing help, but I suppose it was unrealistic for me to think he popped out of his mother's womb wielding swords with 3d maneuver gear strapped to his little baby waist.

"Never mind who helped me. Just don't screw up."

"I appreciate your concern Captain, but I'm not at the top of my class without reason. I could have given up and ran away, but I'm here aren't I? I promise, I won't get in your way or anyone else's way." I assured him.

"I guess I'll find out if you're bluffing." he blinked. Levi opened the door to the closed room and slipped inside without another word.

"Goodnight Levi!" I called knowing he wouldn't answer back.

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**DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG**

** "**Ugh make it stop!" I groaned. I covered my ears until the loud chime died down. Levi hadn't been kidding about the chiming. Rubbing my eyes vigorously of grogginess, I forced myself out of bed. I groaned in pain. I was right about feeling sore in the morning.

Today was the day to prove myself. My first day as a Survey Corps soldier. I shivered with excitement. Walking across the hall, I stopped at Levi's door which was still closed shut. I knocked on the door a couple of times. Silence. Repeat. Still no answer.

"Levi, the clock went off, are you in there?" I asked. I put my ear to the door but couldn't hear anything. Sighing I decided to open the door without confirmation. Hopefully I wouldn't be killed. The sun was just rising, with small rays of light beginning to shine through the window. I looked in the corner of the room and saw the sleeping form of Levi.

"How the fuck did he sleep through that?" I deadpanned. He was the one who warned me the clock was noisy in the first place. I stepped over to his bedside. He looked so peaceful. I watched the silent rise and fall of his chest, his breathing controlled and even. The more I looked at him, the more that was revealed to me. His attire had been a black overcoat, a pressed white shirt and black pants last night, but it wasn't until just this morning that I took note of it. I didn't hate his undercut either. If anything, it was a signature style of his that I liked. For the first time I noticed that he was actually quite a handsome man. Sure he always looked troubled and annoyed but if you looked past that, his features were enticing. The thought made me slightly uncomfortable since Levi had been more like an older brother to me throughout the years. Minus the perverted stares. His hand laid strewn across his waist, and his arm was rested behind his head. It didn't look like a particularly comfortable position to sleep in but whatever floats your boat. He hadn't even bothered to change his clothes. I had at least changed into my sleeveless night gown before falling asleep. I felt a bit guilty for keeping him up for so long with our sparring match. "Hey, Levi, It's time to get up." I said bending down over his face. My hair pooled around his head, falling in with his locks of hair. A foreign urge to touch his face came over me abruptly but left just as quickly as it had come. Maybe he needed more sleep. As I was about to walk away, I felt a hand gently tug mine.

"What time is it?" came the sleepy tenor of the Captain.

"The suns just rising, so it's a bit after six." I looked over my shoulder at his sleepy eyes. Something told me he wasn't an early riser. "How did you sleep through all that chiming?"

"I learned to tune it out. I haven't slept here in years and usually someone's around to get me up." Propping himself up his elbow the captain turned to the window, running his hand through his locks carelessly. I turned away blushing.

"Well, if that's all. I'll be getting ready then." I said, excusing myself nervously. I skipped out of the room and shut the door behind me. Why was I finding him so attractive all of a sudden? Must be the house.

I went down to the second floor and found an oak vanity in the bedroom across from the washroom. There was a couch, a couple of bookcases and various drawers. Setting my uniform and scrubbing cloth down on the couch, I went to the washroom to pump water into the bathtub, but stopped upon hearing movement in the kitchen and peeked in to see Levi already in uniform and heating up tea.

"I'm surprised you didn't clean yourself before getting dressed in uniform." I commented. He turned his head side ways looking at my still gown wearing form.

"I did, you just move at the pace of an old woman nearly on her deathbed so you didn't notice." Levi said cleaning a tea cup. "There's tooth powder in the washroom. Use it, get dressed and wait for Hanji or Petra to arrive so we can get your hair taken care of. Don't waste you're time washing, you can do that when we return."

I sighed but quickly followed his instructions. Just as I slid my tan jacket on, I heard knocking on the door. "Answer it." Levi ordered from the kitchen. I flew down the stairs, looked out the window, and saw Petra and Hanji standing next to each other chatting. Sure Levi and I were in the house, but I had developed a habit of always looking out the window before opening the door. You could never be _too_ careful.

"Good morning. I suppose you guys brought your tools with you?" I pouted. Hanji all too readily held up the metal shears to my dismay. The creepy smile she gave me didn't help either. I brought them to the kitchen where Levi was already leaned back sipping his cup of happiness. Hanji and Petra greeted him politely while he looked at all three of us with an expression of boredom before setting his cup down and rising mechanically. As he passed us, I noticed Petra give a salute although I didn't imitate her. I would probably have to start doing it more even though I knew Levi only cared about rank when it meant he could be a pain in the ass. At least in my case.

"Set her down here." the Captain ushered me into a chair in front of the vanity. He watched me in the mirror, my hair proudly touching my thighs. "Hmm, cut it right here." My face heated up as his hand touched right above my breast.

"Oh, that's a lot to be cut off. Sorry Caria." Hanji apologized.

"It's all right, let's just get this over with." I closed my eyes to the sound of snipping scissors. My brows furrowed imagining all the dark strands of hair falling to the floor. Hopefully Hanji and Petra knew what they were doing.

"Done!" Hanji exclaimed. I opened my eyes to see their handiwork. The ends of my hair were smooth and stopped right where the Captain had ordered. No extra hair seemed to be missing either.

"You look beautiful," Petra smiled at me in the mirror.

"Thanks." I replied. After a few moments of examining the cut, I noticed Levi was no longer in the room. I looked around in confusion.

"Seeing all the hair on the floor made Levi uncomfortable so he left." Hanji said seeing my bewilderment.

"Figures." I commented inwardly. I helped the girls gather up the all the hair that had been snipped away. Nearly a foot of hair lengthwise, was now on the ground.

"We'll go dispose of this and be on our way. We brought along two horses for you guys for the expedition. The Captain has to be near the head of the line so leave as soon as possible." Hanji instructed. I saluted her and walked them downstairs as they left the house with a sack of my old hair in tow. I closed the door stretching happily. It was actually nice to get a hair cut. I felt a bit lighter and could no longer fathom why I had even the slightest opposition to it in the first place. I heard soft footsteps stop behind me and felt the Captain's hand run through my freshly cut tresses. The hand that wasn't in my hair rotated my body around slowly to face him. His grey eyes met my hazel ones. He examined the hair twisted around his fingers before looking back at me.

"You look striking," he said. My mouth dropped at the compliment. I didn't say anythings for a few moments before eventually stuttering out a response.

"Y-yea, I guess getting a haircut wasn't such a terrible idea after all..." I mumbled slightly unnerved under his intense stare. "They did a good job, it's not as bad as I thought it would be." The Captain's fingers ran through the waves of my hair until he eventually retracted his hand though his eyes still lingered on my form.

"Well... umm Hanji said that you have to be at the front of the line so we should leave now..." I said shifting uncomfortably. He hummed in agreement, but it was obvious that he was thinking about something else. "Levi?"

"What?"

"Are we ready to go?" I asked.

"Yea... go ahead and open the door, I have to go grab something." Levi said

I curiously watched him walk up the stairs before turning around to let sunlight spray in the doorway. Stepping outside, I breathed in the crisp air as a light breeze blew past me. Tied down to a post outside the house were two steeds, neighing as I walked up to them. My blood began to pump. Soon I would earn my place as a soldier. Levi walked up to the horse next to mine. It nudged him, seemingly familiar with the Captain already.

"We'll ride to a supply station to do a maintenance check on our gear. From there, we'll go to the gate. The expedition will take place outside of Trost in Wall Maria. Here, this is the official Survey Corps cloak. You'll want to slip that on and I brought you something to put you're hair up with since it still might get in the way." Levi explained handing me the green garment and black tie.

"Wow, this is so cool! My own cloak!" I cooed hugging the cloth closely to my chest.

"Just put it on so we can go." the Captain said rolling his eyes. I slipped the hooded cloak over my head and climbed my horse. I checked my person to see if I had everything. The 3d Maneuver gear latched around my waist was so light that I barely felt it. The technology of it still amazed me even after several years of practice with it. I couldn't wait to exercise it's capabilities in real combat.

"All right, Let's go!" I shouted. I got Levi to lift the corner of his mouth a bit with my eagerness. He steered his horse in front of me and together we headed down the road. Finally, the moment I'd been waiting for.

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Chapter End

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Well I shall update again sometime after the new chapter is released around May 7thish. Hopefully another Levi side story chapter will be out around then as well. Well, ciao.


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